1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glove fitting device for fitting a glove to a cabinet defining a space completely isolated from indoor atmosphere, which is so-called “glove box”.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the general type of glove box for use in handling, for example, radioactive substances in nuclear energy facilities is configured to allow a glove to be fitted removably and directly into an opening defined by a cabinet. Another known type of glove box is such that a glove is fitted to a tubular inner ring body, which in turn is removably fitted to a cabinet, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-193788.
According to the art described in this publication, replacement of the glove is achieved as follows. A substitute inner ring body fitted with a new glove is pressed against the inner ring body fitted to the cabinet to force the inner ring body fitted with a used glove into the cabinet, so that the substitute inner ring fitted with the new glove becomes fitted to the cabinet.
With this arrangement, when the substitute inner ring body fitted with the new glove becomes fitted to the cabinet, the inner ring body fitted with the used glove is forced into the cabinet together with the used glove. That is, the glove that will not be used any longer remains together with the inner ring body within the cabinet and, hence, the glove and the inner ring body that become useless upon the glove replacement cannot be recovered unless the cabinet is opened.
Usually, gloves for use in such a glove box often have a length corresponding to the forearm. Since such a glove is relatively long, it is possible that the glove dangles from the inner ring body, even though the glove is configured to be capable of being removed from the cabinet as fitted to the aforementioned tubular inner ring body. For this reason, when an operation is performed such as to transport the inner ring body fitted with such a glove or fit the inner ring body to the cabinet, the glove sometimes hinders such an operation.